California Users File Civil Suit Against Facebook

Five Facebook users have filed a civil lawsuit in California alleging that the social networking site violates state privacy laws and misleads people about how their personal information is used.

The lawsuit was filed Monday in Orange County Superior Court.

It demands damages and attorney's fees and includes a request for a jury trial.

Facebook spokesman Barry Schnitt said he couldn't immediately comment because he had not seen the lawsuit.

The lawsuit alleges that Palo Alto-based Facebook violates California privacy and online privacy laws by disseminating personal information posted by users to third parties. It also alleges that Facebook engages in data mining and harvesting without fully disclosing those practices to its members.

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